COMD1167 Type & Media, Fall2016

A foundation course in typography

Digital Chapbook Schedule

The schedule for the completion of the chapbook is as follows:

  • Mon 12/5 – type motion, page transitions, adding animation and importing media files
  • Wed 12/7 – class critique
  • Mon 12/12 – final digital chapbook due
  • Wed 12/14 – final exam prep
  • Mon 12/19 – final exam

Class 19 – Anatomy of a Magazine Page

There are 2 basic categories of elements in a magazine layout: architecture which stay consistent from issue to issue (grid, margins, standing heads, folios, typographical style sheet, etc) and content which changes with each page and each article.

The crucial elements of a magazine page that you should know:

  • headline – also known as the “hed.”
  • art – photo, graphic or an illustration.
  • deck – not all articles or features have one, but when they do, it is usually longer and provides more information than the “hed.”
  • byline – the name of the person who wrote the article or feature.
  • lead – the opening paragraph to the article that is written and designed to engage the reader.
  • caption – a description used to identify the photograph or art element. Usually small in size.
  • spread – the 2 facing pages of magazine article. The spread needs to be designed as a unit.
  • folio – not only a page number, but may contain the magazine’s name and issue date.
  • bleed – all elements that are to print off the page should “bleed” off the edge of the page.
  • pull quote – used to explain photo or used to pull important information from the story. Usually larger in point size than captions. AKA call-out text that invites the reader into the story.
  • subhead – used to break up large chunks of text and help the reader understand what will follow.
  • credit – photo credit or credit for other art element; names the photographer or person who created the art element.
  • sidebar – a small story related to the main story. Sometimes set off by a colored box.
  • infographic – presents additional information in a graphical format, usually in the form of table, chart or graph.
  • margin – the white space at the top and sides of your page helps to make the layout feel open and inviting. Keeps everything organized.
  • gutter – AKA the alley; space between columns.
  • grid – helps to keep the page layouts consistent throughout the magazine.

Read Elements of a Magazine Page for more explanations and definitions.

The crucial elements of a magazine cover that you should know:

  • masthead – the name of the magazine. Sometime referred to as the logo of the magazine.
  • main image – large image or photograph that relates to the content or subject matter of the magazine.
  • main coverline – the largest most visible coverline; relates to the main image.
  • coverlines – titles of highlighted stories that appear in the magazine. The main coverline is usually larger along with smaller ones. They appear around the main image.
  • barcode – used by retailers, contains the price and other information about the publication.
  • tagline – AKA the “selling line.”
  • dateline –  the publication date, which is usually the month and year.

Review this marked up cover for clarity.

View the following video, Understanding the Parts of a Magazine Cover.

 

As a resource to this lesson, download the PDF file, Anatomy of a Magazine Layout.

Homework – Due Monday, 11/21

  • Your Chap Book should be ready for in-class critique. It should be at least 90% finished since it is due on Wednesday the 23rd.
  • Prepare for Quiz #2 which will be on Mon, 11/21/16. It will cover information we’ve covered since the mid-term, including anatomy of a magazine.

Class 17 and 18 – Working with Paragraph and Character Styles

When working on large documents, knowing how to use  paragraph and character styles will be very important and come in handy.

One of the best ways to format text in a long document or a document that has repeating formats is to use paragraph or character styles. When we use styles we’re creating a style sheet that will be used to format text whenever that format has to be repeated. For example, to make sure body text and/or subheads are consistent throughout a document, we would style sheet. Using a style sheet will make it quick and easy to make universal changes formatting if you need to change some aspect of the formatting, like point size, font or font color.

To help refresh and clarify the demo we did in class, use the videos below.

Paragraph Styles in InDesign CC (includes drop caps also)

Character Styles in InDesign CC

Chap Book Progress

By this time you should be well on your way with your chapbooks. To help you stay on schedule, here is how we will proceed so we can finish on schedule.

  • Wednesday, Nov 16 – We  have already reviewed your cover and you should be almost finished with your pages.
  • Monday, Nov 21 – You book should be ready for printing. You will get help in class on setting up for print.
  • Wednesday, Nov 23 – You will submit and b&w printed version along with the original color PDF file by the end of class. We begin to explore the possibilities for creating an interactive digital version of your chapbook
  • Monday, Nov  28 – Begin collecting and adding interactive content.

Homework – Magazine References

This is a reminder of the homework assignment that is due on Monday, Nov 7, 2016.

  • Go to a bookstore and look at magazines that cover topics that are similar to your topic. Look at the ones you like and make notes on what you like about them, note what the trends are. Take a few photos for reference. Create a document and with the photos and your comment notes.
  • On Monday, you have  decided on a topic and title for your ChapBook. Bring in 5 thumbnail drawings for your ChapBook cover. Be prepared to begin working on it in class. Refer to this post, How to Draw Thumbnail Sketches, in case you missed.
  • Begin collecting material for your ChapBook.

During class, together we will build the master pages for your book.

New Project Specs: The Chap Book

Now that the Type Book is finished, we are ready to begin the next project. We will began this project in class, but here are the details so that you can make certain you stay on track.

  • Your Chap Book project will be a 12-page booklet. This includes the cover.
  • It can be  autobiographical or on a topic of your choice that you’re interested in. Please have your topic cleared by me.
  • All of the content will be your own. You will do the writing and the photos or illustrations or graphic elements. Any content you find elsewhere must be properly created, otherwise that would be copyright infringement or plagiarism.
  • When you set up your pages in InDesign, the measurements are 5.5″x8.5″ (or 33picas x 51picas). This time your document will be set up as facing pages.
  • Remember to use a grid system to help you keep things organized and aligned. You will determine the number of columns for your grid system.
  • We will begin learning the anatomy of magazine pages, so you are expected to use what you learn in your Chap Book design.
  • When the design is complete, you will assemble the layout for printing, then staple down the center of the spine to create saddle-stitching.
  • You may print in black and white to save money, but your design will be in color.
  • After the print version, you will recreate your design for interactive publishing (with video, audio, etc) so that it can be read in a web browser or on a tablet.

 

The Type Book – Putting it all Together

Here are a few things to add some clarity on assembling your type books, which are due completed by Monday, Oct 31, 2016.

The Cover

Using the entire page, create a balanced and well-conceived cover with the following information:

  • Student Name
  • Type & Media, COMD1167-D143
  • Professor Mary Brown
  • Typography Book (if you choose to add your character’s name that is up to you)

 

Other reminders

Once you are certain you have all the pages and they have been revised, then you can print them out. The page for Legibility: Type and Color should be printed in COLOR. You can have the printing done at Staples or FedEx if you don’t have access to a printer.

  • Print on one side only
  • 8.5″ x 11″ is the page size
  • If you have to print your files at Staples or FedEx, you will need to save your final files as PDF documents to print from.
  • Once all your pages are printed and assembled in the correct order, you have to get the binding done.
  • Get plastic/acetate for the cover (clear) and back (black).
  • Get coil binding
  • It may take more than 1 day to get your book bound, so don’t wait until the last minute.
  • You can refer to the previous post that includes the proper order of the pages. You can also download a copy of the handout.

The mid-term exam is scheduled for Wednesday, October 26th. It will cover all that we’ve learned so far. Please take the time to review your notes, the reading assignments and the updates that have been posted on this website.

You may also want to download this document, Adobe Type Primer, which contains most of the information about typography that we’ve covered.

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